Eurolinux urges W3C to reject RAND patent standards
The Eurolinux Alliance joins the [1]statements of its member
organisations AFUL and SSLUG in urging the W3C to reject using
non-royalty-free patents as basis of any W3C standard.
In particular, the Eurolinux Alliance considers the inclusion of
"RAND" licensing to be incompatible with the W3C's [2]mission
statement to "lead the Web to its full potential as forum for
information, commerce, communication and collective understanding". In
addition to the many arguments that already have been put forth, from
our perspective we would like to emphasize that:
* The W3C's justification to introduce RAND licensing into W3C
standards due to the fait accompli of business method patents in
the US does not take into account that lawmakers in Europe, as a
result of [3]opposition from 90,000 individuals and 200
companies, in November 2001, have abstained from removing the
non-patentability of computer programs in the European Patent
Convention.
* In these [4]objections by European business, international
economists and individual against patents on computer programs
interoperability concerns are an important argument. Even onto
producers situated in countries where on computer programs are not
allowed, RAND patents on W3C standards impose trade barriers to be
interoperability on the basis of W3C standards for export into
countries that allow patents on computer programs.
References
1. http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/www-patentpolicy-comment/2001Sep/0134.html
2. http://www.w3.org/
3. http://petition.eurolinux.org/
4. http://petition.eurolinux.org/consultation/